Armenia's cultural vandalism is proven fact
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Armenia’s cultural vandalism in the occupied Azerbaijani territories has come once again to the forefront as new facts have surfaced, proving the scale of Armenia’s atrocities.
New evidences have come through demonstrating Armenia‘s systematic campaigns against Azerbaijan’s cultural and religious heritage. For example religious monuments located in the occupied territories have been pillaged, exposing the level of barbarism of Armenians, said Khanhuseyn Kazimli, the chairmen of Working Group on Assessment of Losses Caused to Azerbaijan, Member of Parliament.
Kazimli said a total of 901 historical monuments in the occupied lands, including 609 of local significance, and 258 and 13 of state and international significance respectively passed the state registration in Azerbaijan.
As a result of investigation, it was disclosed that about 50 mausoleums, 67 mosques, 92 places of pilgrimage, 106 tombs, as well as 262 historical monuments, 253 archaeological sites, 39 castles and 32 bridges belonging to Azerbaijani history are under occupation at the moment, Kazimli noted.
"We co-developed an action plan with international experts based on an international evaluation system to achieve the precise evaluation of each monument separately," Kazimli said.
He claimed that thousands of exhibits from museums, archives, exhibitions, collections and personal property examples were taken to Armenia following the occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
Some of them have been taken for sale in Germany, France, and the U.S., believes Kazimli. Moreover, an estimated 67 mosques in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding provinces were destroyed. Another four mosques were severely damaged.
Kazimli said that in the wake of the investigation it became clear that over 1,500 historical monuments in the occupied Azerbaijani lands have not yet been brought to registration.
Kazimli's statement came after Armenia's foreign minister made a fanatic address condemning the cultural barbarism at the UN Human Rights Council earlier this week.
The recent acts of vandalism against historical monuments, committed by the Islamic State in the Iraqi city of Mosul pushed Edward Nalbandyan to make "heart touching" remarks on intolerance against intangible heritage examples and the importance of preserving the world's cultural treasures. He even called on the international community to denounce such cultural and religious pillaging.
Azerbaijan’s investigation into Armenia’s crimes against its cultural and religious historic legacy should stand a testimony to Nalbandyan’s hypocrisy and insincerity towards what he called cultural vandalism.
The investigation outcomes could serve as a perfect mirror, forcing Nalbandyan to look at the Armenian crimes before slamming others for their atrocities.
Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is a war crime.
Azerbaijan's State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations and Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences announced earlier last month that they would implement a series of projects in the country this year.
Key goals include exposing Armenia’s vandalism against Azerbaijan's historical and cultural monuments.
Armenians have carried out massive attacks against Azerbaijani cultural monuments in the territories they occupied and are keeping under occupation. Armenia invaded parts of Azerbaijan in the 1990s.
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